Sunday, December 17th, 2006

Sunday Cleaning – Volume 60

Does the world really need another co-ed indie pop band from Brooklyn? Sure, why not? These previews of their debut album Say Something, due out sometime next year, present a band that strikes the delicate balance between hooky melodicism and downbeat lyricism that bands like late-era Cardigans have perfected to great effect. Throw in some hearty endorsements courtesy of Death Cab’s Chris Walla and polished production courtesy of Spoon’s Jim Eno and you’ve got an outfit well poised for a big 2007. And I have to say – the melody for the chorus of “Modern Day Saint” is lifted straight from Blue Peter’s “Don’t Walk Past” (video)… but since that’s a reference that will probably mean nothing to anyone who didn’t live in Canada in 1983 when that was a hit, I won’t call them on it.

That A Sunny Day In Glasgow hail from Philadelphia and not Scotland should give you some idea of where their musical sensibilities lie. The angelic vocals from twin sisters Robin and Lauren Daniels are twee as f*ck but are buried in an ultra-compressed, needle-in-red bed of jagged JAMC-approved fuzz courtesy of brother Ben. The ensuing sibling rivalry for sonic space results in some glorious noise/dream-pop reminiscent of early Radio Dept and in case you didn’t know, that’s a very good thing. The Sunniest Day Ever EP came out in March of this year and is completely sold out, but the debut full-length Scribble Mural Comic Journal, which has three of the EP’s five tracks, is out on February 13 of next year